At the End
by Amy Elizabeth
Summary: After a life of brushes with death, the end is so much simpler


At the end

Amy Elizabeth

Disclaimer: Don't own em, Paramount does.

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"We've got to stop meeting like this, B'Elanna" A slight cough accented the joke, as ill timed as it was.

"Hey, beside your bio-bed is one of my least favorite places, Paris"

He turned her way but she knew he couldn't really see her, so she placed his hand on her face.

"I wish I could see you, B'Elanna"

"You know what I look like, Tom, I haven't changed in the past few days, I promise"

"I never get tired of seeing you, not even after all these years".

She gave a small smile at that and brought her hand to his. In reality the past few days had brought new lines to her face, but she didn't want to worry him with that.

"You'll see me again soon, rest assured of that."

"Not too soon, B'Elanna, not even as much as I would selfishly hope for" His voice was serious and he let out a heavy sigh, "You know we've spent a lot of our lives in these near-death moments, but never..." He didn't continue, he didn't need to.

"Hey, I remember a lot of important things being accomplished through those near death experiences".

They both smiled at the long list they could both remember.

"The Vidiaans" He wrinkled his nose at that, "That was when we really talked for the first time, I learned so much about you that day."

"And the Sakari caves," She patted his hand, "I not only told you what I couldn't when I was in control, but learned to trust you"

"And when we were stuck in EVA suits."

"Almost dying from oxygen deprivation" She continued

"You told me you loved me"

She gave him a gentle knock in the shoulder, "And you got on me about my timing."

She had expected a smile at that but his face, and his unseeing eyes, took on an almost painful look, "I thought that it was the end, and I had never had the chance to show you...prove to you...to love you..."

She squeezed his hand, "But it wasn't and you've shown me, loved me, and though you never had to, proved to me, a million times." She took her empty hand to stroke his face and continued, "And what about when our fuel converted was rigged in that race,"

"I asked you to marry me."

"Yes, you did." She felt her breath beginning to catch and knew tears would be harder to hold down now, "I think that might be one of my favorites, Tom".

He smiled, "Mine too."

He closed his eyes, starting to give up his battle against the darkness that was there even when they were open.

"I loved you for a long time, B'Elanna."

"And I've loved you for just as long, Tom."

"We missed a lot of near death moments, B'Elanna."

"There are probably too many to count."

"We survived them all"

She knew he meant that literally and figuratively, and knew he didn't need reassurance that it was true.

"But there are some things we can't."

She knew he meant that only literally,

"But We, Tom, we can survive anything. No matter where we are."

"I know, B'Elanna." He opened his eyes once more in her direction, "We're alone, aren't we? It's just us here at the end?"

"They're all outside; it's just us, Tom."

"Good." She knew he cared about all the people standing outside as much as they cared about him, after all these years they were as much family as she was to him, but here...

"I'm glad it's like this. No doctors, no disasters...just us."

She knew it wouldn't be long now until she couldn't hold in the tears anymore, she wasn't as strong as she used to be here." He pulled her arm as firmly as he could towards him, and she obliged, leaning her face right next to his, where he could feel her. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips and released her arm.

"I love you B'Elanna." His eyes closed.

"I love you too, Tom" She found it strange that the tears didn't threaten to fall, "Goodnight, I'll see you in the morning."

His lips curved in a tired smile at her initiation of their nightly ritual, "I can't wait, sweetheart. Goodnight."

That was it. At the end, there was just a wife holding the hand of her husband, alone in an unfamiliar sickbay, back on Earth, at ripe old ages, after raising children, and having careers, and years of peaceful retirement. There were no emergency beam ups, no doctors and tricorders, no moments of breathlessness waiting to see what would happen.

And that was how, after a life of adventures, near-death brushes, and rejoicings at surviving them all, time finally won out.


End file.
